FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[bearsalum]

As previously reported:

https://www.wabi.tv/2026/10/16/jack-cosgrove-temporarily-steps-away-colby-head-football-coach/

The official word is that Coach Cosgrove is temporarily stepping down. We'd be surprised to see him back. Obviously, we wish him the best of luck and hope that everything works out with his family member facing health issues.

I was afraid it was going to be his health specifically, because I know he has also had his battles.

Yes, that was my concern as well. I wish Coach Cosgrove and his family the very best. I know he will be missed.

[Nescacman]

Long-time lurker, first-time commenter here, so go easy on me. Also a Bowdoin alum and longtime supporter.

I'm here to say how incredibly disappointed I am in Athletic Director Tim Ryan and Bowdoin as a whole. These student-athletes have been let down for years, and what is happening behind the scenes right now only adds to that disappointment.

Every single player on that roster earned his spot at Bowdoin. Many had opportunities to play at other outstanding academic institutions, and they chose Bowdoin. They show up every day, work hard, support one another, and represent the college with pride. What have they gotten in return? Years of inconsistent coaching, a program that has struggled to find its footing, and now a complete lack of meaningful communication from the administration during what is arguably one of the most difficult periods this program has faced.

And let's be clear, the situation surrounding Coach Hammer's leave of absence didn't develop in a vacuum. Serious concerns about the program extend well beyond wins and losses. I'm not going to speculate about confidential personnel matters or ongoing investigations, but it's fair to say there are bigger questions about leadership, accountability, and how student-athletes have been treated.

Which brings me to Tim Ryan. Where has the athletic leadership been throughout all of this? These problems didn't appear overnight. At what point does the athletic director take responsibility for recognizing that a program is in trouble and doing something about it?

To my knowledge, as of today, players and families have received little more than the announcement that Coach Hammer is on leave. No meaningful explanation of the program's direction, no publicly communicated long-term plan, and seemingly no acknowledgment of the uncertainty these young men are dealing with.

I fully understand that there are personnel matters the college cannot discuss. But that doesn't excuse the lack of communication about the future of the football program. Those are two very different things.
I feel especially badly for the juniors and seniors who have given so much to this program and may never get to experience the turnaround they deserve. And I have to wonder how many underclassmen are questioning their decision to attend Bowdoin. If I were an incoming recruit or parent, I would be asking some very difficult questions right now.
And frankly, I think the Bowdoin community deserves to know what the administration intends to do to restore confidence in this program.

Lastly, thank you to Lumbercat for recognizing the effort these players continue to put forth. This team has not quit. These men continue to show up, work hard, and compete despite everything going on around them. Some are understandably frustrated and disappointed, yet they continue to represent the school with their heads held high.

This roster has talent, including on offense! But talent alone doesn't win games. Coaching, player development, leadership, and play calling matter. Why hasn't Bowdoin invested in the experienced coaching and program support these athletes need?

These players have upheld their end of the bargain. Has Bowdoin?

I think Tim Ryan and the college owe these young men and their families a lot more than silence. I hope people stop seeing this as just another disappointing football season. Much bigger issues are at stake here.
The players deserve better. And Bowdoin needs to do better.

Really appreciate this post and our hearts go out to the student-athletes at Bowdoin who are the victims here. We are rooting for you.

We have been very fortunate to get to know some of the talented players at Bowdoin over the years (Drew Ortiz and Koy Price to name two) and they are some of the highest quality people we have come across in all of our years hanging around this league (44 and counting).

After this latest situation, we think Bowdoin needs to consider cleaning house starting right at the top. Certainly the AD must go and they will undoubtedly bring in a whole new football coaching staff. But should the President also be replaced? It's not a reach to come to the conclusion that there is an issue with culture at Bowdoin. Culture issues come from the top of any organization, including academia.

A discussion for the off-season...at this point with the State of Maine at 0-15, we're not sure anyone will ever be able to have sustained success at one of the Maine schools. Sure, there will be the occasional one-off decent year, like Colby had last year. However, they have reverted back to the norm this year. If guys like Jack Cosgrove (a legend at UMaine) and Dave Caputi (one of the best coordinators and recruiters in the NESCAC at Williams) can't win at Colby and Bowdoin respectively, who will win there? Tough location, no history of success, lack of institutional commitment to the sport (for example, pay for coaches and number of coaches), weather, etc. add to the challenge. Hope we are wrong, but history is on our side. Good luck to the (more than likely) two new coaches next year in the C-B-B. 

[nescac1]

Hopefully at some point folks will actually be able to share the details on Bowdoin - and it seems crazy that the school has said NOTHING publicly.  That would be utterly unthinkable in D1 and I am surprised an enterprising student hasn't broken the story through the campus paper ...

But putting that aside, I mean, SOMEONE has to be at the bottom of the NESCAC and the top two-thirds of the league is just going to be really, really hard to crack.  Trinity is Trinity and is never going anywhere, Wesleyan has firmly established itself as a major program with great infrastructure and leadership, Williams and Amherst have the winning traditions, elite football facilities, financial resources and arguably the best rivalry in D3, and are generally going to be contenders other than when there are total coaching disasters or injury tsunamis, Middlebury has a great coach, tradition, and athletics culture and appealing style of play plus is one of the larger student bodies, and Tufts has a slew of advantages starting with location, size and grad programs.  Athletics (soccer, lacrosse, hoops etc.) at Tufts is crushing it right now in a way football really should be able to replicate at SOME point.

In a sport like basketball anyway can have a great two or three year run if you nail a few recruits, maybe get a big transfer in, a few guys develop in surprising ways, there is at least hope.  But even when you find 3-4 football diamonds in the rough per year, it's hard to make any sort of leap when even those diamonds might still be second-stringers at Trinity.  And you need 10-12, not 3-4, to compete. 

Barring hiring the next Curt Cignetti, what is the path to sustained excellence for Colby, Bates, Hamilton and Bowdoin?  They are all in relatively remote locations, none have winning football traditions, none have graduate programs to keep guys around for a fifth year, they generally have fewer financial resources (Colby being the exception, but it's also the most remote) it's just very, very hard to sell a guy on "turn down Trinty/Williams/Amherst/Wesleyan/Midd/Tufts for our program" let along a dozen guys per year.  They've collectively made plenty of good hires over the years and the best that's ever gotten them is maybe a few years in the middle of the league before sliding back down towards the bottom.  The odds of anyone in the foreseeable future winning a NESCAC title from that quarter are extraordinarily low, just too many good historical programs, with good current leadership, committed to winning to leapfrog.  During periods when Tufts, Williams, Amherst or Wesleyan, or on rarer occasions two of those four, bottomed out for one reason or another, there was at least a sliver of an opening.  But now ...

[Nescacman]

Finally... any thoughts on this "hot take"?

Five of our seven preseason 20 Questions panelists picked the NESCAC to make the round of 16 this year.

https://d3football.prestosports.com/notables/2026/08/20-questions

Interesting...thanks for posting.

Patrick, why do you think pretty much everyone whiffed on Johns Hopkins this year?

[bearsalum]

Hopefully at some point folks will actually be able to share the details on Bowdoin - and it seems crazy that the school has said NOTHING publicly.  That would be utterly unthinkable in D1 and I am surprised an enterprising student hasn't broken the story through the campus paper ...

But putting that aside, I mean, SOMEONE has to be at the bottom of the NESCAC and the top two-thirds of the league is just going to be really, really hard to crack.  Trinity is Trinity and is never going anywhere, Wesleyan has firmly established itself as a major program with great infrastructure and leadership, Williams and Amherst have the winning traditions, elite football facilities, financial resources and arguably the best rivalry in D3, and are generally going to be contenders other than when there are total coaching disasters or injury tsunamis, Middlebury has a great coach, tradition, and athletics culture and appealing style of play plus is one of the larger student bodies, and Tufts has a slew of advantages starting with location, size and grad programs.  Athletics (soccer, lacrosse, hoops etc.) at Tufts is crushing it right now in a way football really should be able to replicate at SOME point.

In a sport like basketball anyway can have a great two or three year run if you nail a few recruits, maybe get a big transfer in, a few guys develop in surprising ways, there is at least hope.  But even when you find 3-4 football diamonds in the rough per year, it's hard to make any sort of leap when even those diamonds might still be second-stringers at Trinity.  And you need 10-12, not 3-4, to compete. 

Barring hiring the next Curt Cignetti, what is the path to sustained excellence for Colby, Bates, Hamilton and Bowdoin?  They are all in relatively remote locations, none have winning football traditions, none have graduate programs to keep guys around for a fifth year, they generally have fewer financial resources (Colby being the exception, but it's also the most remote) it's just very, very hard to sell a guy on "turn down Trinty/Williams/Amherst/Wesleyan/Midd/Tufts for our program" let along a dozen guys per year.  They've collectively made plenty of good hires over the years and the best that's ever gotten them is maybe a few years in the middle of the league before sliding back down towards the bottom.  The odds of anyone in the foreseeable future winning a NESCAC title from that quarter are extraordinarily low, just too many good historical programs, with good current leadership, committed to winning to leapfrog.  During periods when Tufts, Williams, Amherst or Wesleyan, or on rarer occasions two of those four, bottomed out for one reason or another, there was at least a sliver of an opening.  But now ...

All fair points, and I don't disagree that some NESCAC programs have significant advantages that make sustained success difficult for others. But I think that misses the bigger issue here.

Someone has to finish at the bottom of the standings, but that doesn't mean the student-athletes who commit to those schools should have to settle for a subpar experience. I personally know of players who had opportunities to play at other top NESCAC programs and deliberately chose Bowdoin. Some were drawn to Bowdoin's more collaborative academic environment rather than the more competitive atmosphere they perceived at other schools. These are talented, hardworking kids who had options and chose Bowdoin for a reason. The notion that Bowdoin simply can't attract that caliber of student-athlete isn't entirely accurate.

These players deserve experienced coaching, strong leadership, proper investment in their program, and an administration that actually sees, hears, and supports them. Athletics is an important part of their Bowdoin education, and it shouldn't be treated as an afterthought simply because their team isn't competing for a NESCAC championship.

And frankly, I think accepting that certain programs are destined to remain at the bottom is part of the problem. Nobody is suggesting Bowdoin should win the league every year, but why shouldn't the college be expected to build a competitive program and give its athletes a legitimate chance to succeed?

The bigger concern at Bowdoin right now isn't even the win-loss record. It's the apparent lack of leadership, communication, and accountability during a very serious situation. Those things have nothing to do with Trinity's recruiting advantages or Williams' football tradition.

These players are holding up their end of the bargain. Bowdoin needs to hold up its end, too.

[Patrick Coleman]

Re: Johns Hopkins, because they literally have 20 guys injured.

[Nescacman]

Re: Johns Hopkins, because they literally have 20 guys injured.

Thanks Patrick. Makes sense.